More Depressing Tax News

As a follow-up to a previous entry on the tax changes in Ohio, the Ohio Department of Confiscation Taxation lists the following businesses as being in their cross hairs new targets sources of revenue. Sales taxes will henceforth be collected from:

Storage facility services.

Personal care (manicures, pedicures, tanning, massages - unless prescribed or performed by a doctor or chiropractor - skin care, application of cosmetics, hair removal, tattooing, and body piercing).

Satellite broadcasting services - video and radio.

Dry cleaning and laundry services (excluding coin-operated laundries).

Delivery service charges (by a vendor in connection with the sale of personal property, such as, delivery of furniture after purchase).

Intrastate transportation services (of people, such as taxis, limousines, and helicopter rides, but not public transit systems or commercial airlines).

Vehicle towing services.

Snow removal service (if annual earnings are $5,000 or more).

I've only one comment and it's a quote. "There's no joy in Muddville. Mighty Casey has struck out."

 Help Wanted

MEN WANTED FOR HAZARDOUS JOURNEY. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.

This ad was placed in London newspapers in 1900 for the National Antarctic Expedition by Ernest Shackleton. In comparison, flipping burgers or staying in school don't seem like bad alternatives.

 Snakes In The Basement

This is a strange story out of Twinsburg Township. Written by Kimberly Mauser for the Twinsburg Bulletin, it describes a man finding two 5 to 6 foot Burmese pythons in his basement. The resident, Jeff Wells, doesn't know where they came from but suspects that someone maliciously placed them there.

If someone placed them in the basement as an act of malice, it was an expensive act of malice. The snakes estimated value is $300 each.

 Virgins in Vegas

Christina Almeida probably let out a chuckle when she was assigned to write a story about a virgin convention in Las Vegas. Her first thought was probably that it was a joke, that it's oxymoronic.

But it wasn't. Writing for the AP, her report of the Seventh Annual National Abstinence Clearinghouse Conference in Las Vegas appears on the website for The Free Lance-Star of Fredericksburg, VA. (Hat Tip to WorldNetDaily.com)

About 750 people traveled to Sin City to attend seminars on the history of abstinence and the consequences of premarital sex. And, understandably, they raised a few eyebrows.

"The reception was mixed Friday night as the virgin brigade passed out about 5,000 "Good Girl Cards" to mostly female passerbys, many clad in short skirts and low-cut tops. The event was designed to counter dozens of people who routinely hand out color ads for scantily clad entertainers and escorts on the Strip."

One thing you can count on is that they weren't the only group in Vegas that arrived with a keen interest on keeping an eye on their valuables. There is a reason it's called Sin City.

BTW, the report of the event didn't mention any males in attendance advocating and practicing abstinence. Maybe it was an oversight.

 Another Tax Increase

Effective July 1st, the Ohio state sales tax will increase from 5% to 6% to which, of course, each county levies additional amounts. Total sales tax in Cuyahoga County will go to 8%, which is the highest in the state. Portage County goes to 7.75%. Lake, Lorain and Summit counties climb to 6.75%, while Geauga and Medina will be at 6.5%. Additionally, to confiscate even more dollars:

. . . lawmakers extended the sales tax to services ranging from tattooing to towing.

Those changes take effect in August, allowing Ohio to rake in an additional $189 million a year.

It sure is depressing to know that the one bureaucratic group that seems to be doing their job is the What-The-Hell-Haven't-We-Taxed-Yet Committee.

Reporter Eric Morath wrote the story for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

 More Than Just Government Oversight

This story just jacks my jaws. According to the Ohio Inspector General, Tom Charles, the Ohio Civil Rights Commission should be credited for finally discovering an oversight in the department whereby it pissed away $290,000 over a period of five years. It seems the commission was being charged $4,400 per month for five years by AT&T for telephone lines that the agency wasn't using and forgot for five years to disconnect.

Now, someone please explain to me what kind of management doesn't bother to look at their expenses for five years.

I contend that there is no management, just a bunch of bureaucrats with a heartbeat. Nobody is responsible and nobody cares. If this happened in the private sector, heads would have already rolled. But this is government, so there will be the obligatory finger-pointing and shuffling of people to different positions and, then, things will die down and be back to normal with nobody in charge and nobody caring. The only noticeable change will come about because the government is increasing the state sales tax so the jerks can piss away even more dollars.

Another thing, the Inspector General and the Civil Rights Commission referred to this occurrence as an "oversight." Oversight my ass! Forgetting to buy bread at the store is an oversight. You pay four thousand four hundred dollars every month for five years in return for nothing is not an oversight. It's abject incompetence.

Ted Wendling wrote the story for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. If you want, you can find it here.

 Modern Drunkard Magazine

Yes, you read the heading correctly. And now you can join in and be as politically incorrect as is possible, along with 50,000 others, by subscribing to Modern Drunkard Magazine.

According to the Julian Colman story appearing on the web at www.telegraph.co.uk, the magazine's success has prompted the editor, Mr. Frank Rich, to make plans for a British edition.

"We'll change some things in Britain," said Mr. Rich, "but the tone and content will basically be the same: a magazine by and for drunkards."

Mr. Rich believes the magazine's success is a reaction to the uptight nature of American society where beautiful people habitually choose water over wine at lunch. He also explains some history associated with drinking.

"We're trying to convince Americans that there should be no guilt attached to being drunk. America's economic golden age in the 1950s took place when it was commonplace for businessmen to down three large martinis at lunchtime.

"A lot of the time, it is alcohol which helps us to function in difficult circumstances. Look at Churchill. He was more or less drinking all the way through the Second World War. If you took any list of the greatest politicians, writers and artists that the world has produced, you'd find it dominated by functioning alcoholics."

I took a look at his website and it's interesting and humorous. Have a look at Modern Drunkard Magazine before you view the next posting.

 Blood Alcohol Limit Reduced to 0.08

Reported in the Elyria Chronicle-Telegram by Cindy Leise is the news that, effective July 1st, Ohio becomes the 42nd state to set the blood alcohol limit for drunk driving to 0.08 %.

As written, the story seems to contend that lowering of the blood alcohol limit is largely the result of the federal government offering more highway money as an incentive. Although everybody is concerned about accidents and fatalities, it appears that the almighty dollar got this law changed.

The article explains:

Lawmakers said that lowering the limit was necessary to avoid losing $120 million in federal highway funds in the next four years.

The 2000 federal law requires each state�s legislature to set the limit at 0.08 percent by 2004 or lose 2 percent of its highway money. The penalty would grow by another 2 percent each year, to a maximum of 8 percent by 2007. States that adopt the standard by 2007 would be reimbursed for lost money.

Most parents I've known have used an identical enlightened political ploy. When they want their kids to do stuff, they threaten to take away their allowance.

 Oldest Profession Fights New Tax

With expenditures far exceeding revenue, the State of Nevada is considering a new entertainment tax on the 28 brothels that legally operate in the state. According to a report in the Houston Chronicle, the 'working girl' is not so much concerned about the money as the inhumanity of the gesture. The prostitutes don't appreciate being objectified. One girl commented:

"We provide a service, not a commodity," says a woman who calls herself Air Force Amy, 37. She began her career 13 years ago after drinking a couple of wine coolers, and the rest is history, she said with a giggle.

The report also states that Air Force Amy:

. . . earns $10,000 to $50,000 a month, and argues that she already pays federal income tax. A state tax on the establishment would be passed on to her, she said, in effect taxing her income. That, she said, is unconstitutional.

OK, you tell me. Is $50,000 a month income, for a 13-year veteran hooker, believable?

 MoveOn.org Votes for Dean, Kucinich

MoveOn.org polled its members to see who among the Democrats it would endorse for president in 2004. Results determined Howard Dean was preferred over Dennis Kucinich by 44% to 24%. Neither probable candidate received the required 50% necessary for an endorsement. You can see the results for all the Democratic candidates at the MoveOn.org website.

 Greens Hope For Nader

There are a couple interesting things in this Washington Times article by Steve Miller. First, due to a generally recognized weak list of probable Democratic presidential candidates for the 2004 election, the Green Party is anxious to have Ralph Nader run again and maybe top 3% of the vote he received in 2000. They have formed the "Draft Nader 2004 Committee" in hopes of persuading him to run again. So far, Mr. Nader, who is not an official member of the Green Party, has not decided.

Green Party spokesman Scott McLarty stated that:

"The field of Democratic presidential candidates is not strong enough at this point to deter a Green Party candidate on the 2004 ticket . . . ."

They may not be 'strong enough' but apparently they're 'good' because he also said:

"There are some good Democrats in the running . . . [and] . . . Dennis Kucinich is at the top of that list. And Carol Moseley Braun, Howard Dean and Al Sharpton . . . ."

Yeah, you heard it right. The Greens think Dennis Kucinich is at the top of the list of Democratic presidential hopefuls.

One last thing is that the Greens conducted a national poll of party members and closely following Ralph Nader as favorite for the presidential race was former Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney of Georgia.

 Gen. Wesley Clark Shows His Ignorance

James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal Opinion Journal and the hollywoodhalfwits.com website report on an interview of former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO Gen. Wesley Clark in which he demonstrates a negligent understanding of US history and the Constitution. It should be noted that the interview was conducted by Tim Russert and seen nationally on Meet the Press. The report of the interview indicates Gen. Clark stated:

"I thought this country was founded on a principle of progressive taxation. In other words, it's not only that the more you make, the more you give, but proportionately more because when you don't have very much money, you need to spend it on the necessities of life."

Gen. Clark's thinking is wrong. Progressive taxation did not become common practice in this country until well into the 20th Century. The founding principle he refers to is not in the US Constitution. It is, however, a founding principle in The Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx. Maybe he got his reference documents mixed up.

Besides this erroneous statement, the transcript also displays a few of Gen. Clark's responses which appear jumbled, a seeming mishmash of partial thoughts. I got the feeling that he had great difficulty in formulating coherent answers prior to opening his mouth. And, based upon the transcript, I don't understand how he became a four-star general. One would imagine that clear thinking, as reflected in clear speech, would have been a prerequisite to promotion to that high rank.

Nonetheless, somebody must like him a lot since there appears to be a grass roots effort to draft Gen. Clark to be the Democratic party nominee for President. He says he hasn't decided yet but some pundits have predicted that he will run.

 Cleveland Street Name Change

I just caught a bit of a news broadcast that said the Mayor of Cleveland, Jane Campbell, has designated a new name for East 9th Street. From now on it will be known as Rock and Roll Blvd. I hope I heard it right.

 LeBron James Drafted by Cleveland

Who could have guessed?

For those people who are interested, USA Today reports that LeBron has a website and, although it's not officially launched yet, it's pretty busy.

 An Easy Way To Get Fired

At what point does a paid spokesman become an unpaid maverick business consultant? Based upon this story from MSNBC.com, the answer is: Never, because they are mutually exclusive.

Apparently Jason Alexander (of Seinfeld fame) was unaware of this truism or he just didn't care because he thought his position as pitch man for KFC included the authority to blast off in public his opinion as to how the company should conduct business. Wrong, Jason! The company is paying you to promote, not bad-mouth, them.

This episode is worthy of several comments. First of all, it demonstrates that a radical special interest group (in this case, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) can easily scratch the superficial intellect of Jason Alexander such that he shoots himself in the foot.

Secondly, his illusory intellect prompted him to have the arrogance to broadcast that KFC needs to change their business which they've been successfully conducting since toddler Jason wore diapers.

Thirdly, Mr. Alexander sacrificed a handsome paycheck for no defined, tangible benefit. I defy anyone to be able to get up from the table after a chicken dinner and tell me whether the chicken was happy or sad just before an ax separated its head from its neck.

There are many things that can be said about this whole event (in particular, the PETA crowd is worthy of many comments), but I'll save them for another time and end with one final comment. Jason Alexander's agent now has a much harder job. All future attempts on his part to get product endorsement contracts will include the question, "How can I be sure this pea brain is not going to shoot his mouth off about my business?"

 Nationwide DUI Crackdown

Marisa Navarro reports in this Washington Post article of a scheduled and unprecedented 17-day law enforcement crackdown on drunk drivers starting 6/27 and running through the July 4th weekend. The effort will include sobriety checkpoints and greater numbers of state and local police looking for drunk drivers.

 French Wine Sales Continue Plummet

This story from WorldNetDaily.com has to be troublesome news for France. It's generally known that the sales volume of French products, French wine in particular, has substantially decreased in America due to the stark disagreement between the US and France about the war in Iraq. It may not be generally known that the sales volume is decreasing at an increasing rate.

 Tim Robbins - Generic Liberal Spokesman?

If there's a microphone and a liberal cause, you can count on various Hollywood celebrities to show up, often spearheaded by actor-director Tim Robbins. An AP story has Gov. Gray Davis proposing a cut in taxpayer funding of public arts programs and Robbins pleading for him to reconsider, saying:

". . . children would suffer most and the money would scarcely make a dent in closing the state's $38.2 billion budget deficit."

I don't know if I buy this rhetoric. Specifically, I would not call it "suffering" if a child cannot take violin lessons because there are no tax dollars to pay for them. This is not to demean arts programs and their benefit to society, which I think is important. But as to whether they should be publicly funded is a different matter. I can't shake the fact that in the history of the US there have not always been publicly funded arts programs. During those times, there didn't seem to be a lack of artists.

I have one other take concerning this issue. Robbins stated that arts funding would scarcely make a dent in the overall state budget. This is probably true and I would suggest that the total cost of the arts programs is maybe a few million dollars. Mr. Robbins maintains this needs to be taxpayer funded to prevent the 'suffering' of children.

Out of curiosity, I periodically scan the Daily Box Office website and am astounded by the amount of money generated by the entertainment industry. Over a mere few weeks, it is not uncommon for certain features to take in hundreds of millions of dollars. Over a longer period, some have even approached or exceeded a half billion dollars. In total, industry revenue annually is in the billions.

My question is: Since the entertainment industry derives a primary benefit from the arts programs and, since the industry appears to have adequate resources available, why doesn't the industry pay for these programs and eschew taxpayer funding?

 Copying MTV's Jackass

For all those parents with their heads in the sand regarding the activities of their young teenagers, here's a story by Bureau Chief Richard Payerchin of the Lorain Morning Journal which indicates that they should be more involved.

I personally think the programming of MTV is generally inappropriate for young teenagers.

 Driving While Breast Feeding Update

It appears that this story, which I discussed in a previous (ref: Driving While Breast Feeding) post, has taken an unpredictable, almost bizarre, twist. To recap, Catherine Donkers was charged with several violations after being seen breast feeding her infant while driving on the Ohio Turnpike. Her court date is scheduled for August 6.

According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Husband seeks to be on trial instead of accused wife "because religious beliefs put him in charge of his wife's actions." Brad Barnhill, the husband, also said that:

. . . his faith is rooted in The First Christian Fellowship for Eternal Sovereignty, an organization founded in the late 1990s . . . [and] . . . he is a minister in the fellowship with 650 followers.

That's all well and good. As an American, he can practice any religion he desires but, to my knowledge, his belief system doesn't entitle him to act as a substitute or surrogate defendant in a criminal case.

Probably trying to clarify his intent and resolve, he added:

"I'm responsible for what she does, and no one can punish her except me," he said. "If they refuse to allow me the free exercise of my religion, then we're going to appeal this all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States and they're not going to be able to try her before then."

It is astonishing to me that someone could make such nonsensical statements with a straight face. Of course, Catherine Donkers can and will be punished by the state of Ohio, despite what her husband says. And she will be tried, also despite what he says. Mr. Barnhill ought to bone up on the legal processes of the US.

The opinion I expressed in my original post was that, based upon her statements, Catherine Donkers is a moron. Recent developments, however, indicate that she's a subordinate moron and all responsibility for her actions lies with the superior moron, her husband.

Kind of reminds me of two little kids on the playground bickering about who's the bigger moron.

 Cops Sexually Abusing Minors

I'm sure I'm not the only person getting tired of hearing about the rampant sexual abuse of minors. We've had priests, ministers, schoolteachers, and Internet lurkers indicted, tried, convicted, and sentenced. But apparently there's more because we now have research compiling data that police officers are also molesting American youngsters.

Reporting the story in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Martha Mendoza explains:

At least a dozen teenagers assigned to work with police departments as part of the Boy Scouts' Law Enforcement Explorers program have allegedly been sexually abused by officers during the past year. In the past five years, such molestations number at least 25, according to criminologists' research . . . .

Occurring throughout the US, the identified incidents included rapes and sexual assaults of young people participating in the Law Enforcement Explorers, a co-ed program affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America. Nationwide, about 43,000 Explorers were assigned to police departments last year.

I hope the perpetrators are punished severely. A strong message needs to be sent to law enforcers that they will pay dearly for any incident of sexual misbehavior. After all, if you can't trust the cops, who can you trust?

 Video Voyeurism Made a Crime

For the past few years, there have been increasing numbers of incidents of video voyeurs secretly taping women and couples during very private moments in the bathroom and bedroom. Television newsmagazines have regularly broadcast reports of these invasions of privacy. They have also broadcast the fact that the perpetrators are usually not prosecuted since state laws do not recognize video voyeurism as a crime. But that's changing and, hopefully soon, all states will recognize in their law books the crime of video voyeurism.

Reporting in Newsday, Deepti Hajela writes that New York Gov. Pataki:

. . . signed into law a measure that makes video voyeurism _ secretly capturing images of another person in a private place like a bathroom or bedroom _ a felony that carries a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.

Other states need to follow New York's lead.

One thing about this subject begs a question. I understand that most states have laws prohibiting peeping toms and, if they do, why can't those laws be applied to video voyeurs? Seems like pretty much the same thing to me.

 Sobriety Checkpoints

The practice of forewarning the population when State Troopers will be setting traps to catch violators sure seems contrary to prudent law enforcement procedure. Maybe so, but that's exactly how it is done in Ohio. Staff writer Jonathan Tressler reports in a News-Herald article that the troopers'

. . . next big mobilization will focus on drunk drivers, . . . scheduled for June 27 through July 13 and will include sobriety checkpoints and extra DUI enforcement, according to Ohio Highway Patrol spokeswoman Ashley Ellis.

Additionally, a campaign to enhance compliance with the seat belt law

. . . is slated for Aug. 20 through Sept. 2, to coincide with Labor Day, the patrol reports.

I don't know if other states have similar practices, but it sure is nice that Ohio does. Now if we can just get them to tell us where the checkpoints will be.

 Obesity in America

Recently, there have been news stories of lawsuits being filed against fast food establishments because patrons, over time, became obese. We've also heard for years the warnings of the Surgeon General and the American Medical Association concerning the rate of obesity in the population. Consequently, it should not be surprising that there is an identified need for heavy-duty gurneys.

An article appearing on the web at www.cleveland.com states that one emergency medical service:

. . . recently bought gurneys that support up to 650 pounds . . . . Each one cost $2,750.

The department chief stated that they get frequent calls to handle patients weighing 350 to 400 pounds and, before the new gurneys arrived, they routinely had to call the fire department to help lift the patients.

My only comment, which is based on very little knowledge of the subject, is that $2,750 sure seems to be a lot of money for a gurney.

 NRC Cracks Down, Industry Strikes Back

John Mangels, science writer for the Cleveland Plain Dealer, provides a summary of unresolved design issues and recent regulatory actions in the commercial nuclear industry. He describes at length how the various responsible groups are trying to resolve the outstanding issues, the major issue being at which organization do most fingers point.

For those readers that are familiar with the industry, it is an interesting article. One thing that seems apparent is that, in the not very distant future, some substantive decisions/changes will be made concerning regulation of the industry. Whatever happens will have an impact on the availability and price of electricity.

�Ohio Shrimp Farming

About a year ago, some newcomer at the local coffee shop joined the conversation by asking if anyone had heard about the Ohio shrimp farms. Everybody just stared at him for a moment and then guffawed. This guy had to be making up a story.

Well, sometimes truth is hard to believe. John Horton reports for the Cleveland Plain Dealer on the Ohio shrimp farms. Read the whole article.

�Statewide Ohio Smoking Ban Proposed

The liberal anti-smoking do-gooders confuse me. And I'm fairly certain that the liberal activists are pretty much the same people who merely change their protest signs depending on the cause of the day. Whether it is pro-abortion, anti-fur, homosexual rights, global warming, anti-SUVs, or whatever, these lefties are homogeneous. Just tell them when, where, and the cause du jour and they'll show up. And, of course, the media will normally overemphasize their presence and message.

So, at the same time that they are pushing hard to get marijuana smoking legalized, they are pushing hard to get laws passed to make tobacco smoking illegal. Their argument is that tobacco smoking is harmful and it bothers people, but marijuana smoking should be legal because it's no worse than drinking liquor. It sure seems that the anti-smoking crowd should be against all smoking, not just tobacco.

Well, anyway, it came as news to me that there is a current effort to get a statewide ban on smoking in public voted into law by referendum on the 2004 ballot. If it does get on the ballot and is passed, Ohio will be following the path forged by California, Florida, and New York City. That's one way to look at it.

Another way to look at it is that if the referendum is passed, Ohio will be taking away another freedom from its citizens just as was done in the liberal mecca of New York City and the socialist states of California and Florida.

Russ Lemmon reports on the proposed Ohio smoking ban for the Toledo Blade.

 Petty Thieves with Two-bit Ambition

The only question about these two pinhead thieves is whether they were complete morons before or because of using drugs. For a small amount of change, they are looking at the potential of a very long prison sentence. The risk to reward ratio is too high to calculate.

 Save the Lake Erie Snake

The fact that Lake Erie has snakes and that they are endangered came as a complete surprise to me. Steve Murphy reports in The Toledo Blade that we, the taxpayers, are privileged to be forking over about a million dollars to help save the snake.

I think I'd rather not know about the snake and have the tax dollars returned to me and other taxpayers as a rebate.

 ABC Axes Garofalo Show

Janeane Garofalo spent the first half of 2003 publicly criticizing American attitudes in general and the Bush administration policies in particular. At the same time, ABC television was doing preparatory work to start filming a new sitcom with Garofalo as the star.

Her frequent public pronouncements attacking America, along with the President, alienated the 70% of the population that believe in America and support the current administration. Ms. Garofalo had angered the viewing public to the extent that their anger was expressed to ABC television, who canceled her sitcom. Fittingly, she was informed of the cancellation just before she was to leave for the airport to go on location to film the first episode.

Garofalo Gets Her Wish is a detailed overview of her troubles by Shayne Winslow reporting for hollywoodhalfwits.com.

It should be noted that her inability to perceive reality prevents her from understanding that she is the cause of her problems. She blames everybody but herself.

�No Taxation Without Respiration

The House of Representatives voted 264 to 163 to end estate taxes permanently. This is good news. Now we need the Senate to do the same. That would be great news. My sentiments are expressed well by the following :

"No taxation without respiration," said Rep. Tom Feeney, a Florida Republican. "When you quit breathing, we ought to leave you alone."

You can read the whole story in The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

�The IRS Is Out Of Control

Several years ago I read Unbridled Power: Inside the Secret Culture of the IRS by Shelley L. Davis. Published by HarperCollins, the book delineates the author's experience as a consultant brought in to review and assess the historical tax records in the IRS archives. As she slowly tackled the task of reviewing a monstrous depository, she became aware of the fact that the records documented a significant lack of management control over the bureaucratic hierarchy of the IRS. Of course, she reported her in-process findings to the upper echelons of the organization. And, long story short, as she found increasing evidence that there was (is) no effective management controls within the IRS, her access was restricted and then terminated. Shelley Davis never did complete her assigned job and, evidently, no action was taken to correct any of the deficiencies identified.

Recently, USA Today reported that the Treasury Department conducted an investigation focusing on Internet usage by IRS employees. Results indicate that:

"Internal Revenue Service employees using thousands of computers accessed prohibited Web sites that included personal e-mail, sexually explicit sites and games."

Additionally, they found that:

". . . IRS employees spent more than half their workday on the Internet for personal reasons."

Given this information, any elementary school graduate with common sense would conclude that at least half of the employees and half of the computers are not needed to conduct the governmental business of the IRS.

With the current IRS budget in the billions (around $10,000,000,000), it seems that a significant portion is unjustifiable if employees are working less than half the time.

My take is twofold. First off, this cannot be categorized as anything but theft. The management and workers are blatantly stealing taxpayer dollars. And I'll not buy the argument that management was unaware. Any manager would know when egregious sloughing off occurred. So they are complicit in the flagrant theft of public funds either by direct participation in the misuse of the Internet or by knowingly allowing their subordinates to do it. In any event, it doesn't appear that the IRS has enough work to keep all their employees busy all the time.

Secondly, this episode in the affairs of the IRS is only one of many examples of how the government pisses away money and is a primary reason that I oppose any tax increase and support all tax decreases.

Although an oversight board has been created, I'm not optimistic that any constructive changes will be implemented within the IRS.

�Driving While Breast Feeding

So here's the story, a trucker on the Ohio Turnpike sees a woman driving along and breast feeding an infant at the same time. Alarmed, the trucker alerts the Ohio Highway Patrol who try to pull her over, but she wouldn't stop until she reached the toll booth where they ticketed her for not having a driver's license and a child safety seat violation. She must also answer to a child endangerment charge.

My view is that this is a tip-of-the-iceberg-type story and, therefore, quite troubling. And, it's not because of what the driver, Catherine Donkers, 29, did. Although it was a conspicuously stupid and dangerous action by her, it will be addressed accordingly in a court of law. No, what troubles me is what she said. While traveling in Ohio, she:

". . . claims she did nothing wrong because Michigan has an exemption to its child restraint law for nursing mothers . . . ."

She follows that gem with the belief that:

". . . the laws of her home state apply on an interstate highway."

There is only one possible result from analyzing this story. The woman is a moron. What troubles me is that the court can't prosecute her for being a moron and she has offspring which she will teach to be moronic.

One last thing - I'm sure that she's not the only moron on the roads. I suspect there's a guy out there who got on the interstate in Colorado and drove to New Jersey, fully expecting the laws of Colorado to govern his highway behavior all the way.

The story appears on the web at thepittsburghchannel.com and was originally reported by Shannon Perrine of WTAE. Read the whole article.

�Poking the PETA Crowd

I stumbled across this Gut Rumbles post and it expresses a value system that is reasonably consistent with mine. It also contains a picture which makes the link worthy of a click. Check it out.

�Livestock Flatulence Tax

To call this story unsettling is an understatement. In accordance with commiting to the Kyoto Protocol (which the US wisely didn't do), the New Zealand Herald reports there will be a flatulence tax at a:

". . . cost of 9c a year for every sheep and 54c to 72c for every beef and dairy cow in the country.

What's next? Taxes on human flatulence? And let us not forget about our lovely pets.

Curiously, although the environmentalists state their goal is a more green planet for everyone, it's hard to dispute the contention that, whenever they get their way, it means less green in the pockets of everyone.

 A Sad But Weird Story

This story out of USA Today makes false the axiom that lightning never strikes the same place twice.

 More Drugs in Ohio

It probably comes as no surprise to anyone that drugs are all over Ohio. Nonetheless, I think it's important to document the fact that in the last five days, without even specifically searching, I've come across three major drug stories occurring in my cloistered area of NE Ohio. Previously, I mentioned the methamphetamine bust in Geneva which was reported in the News-Herald. Now, I've found this item describing a bust of ecstasy pills in Solon, and this item delineating the growing problem of heroin in smaller towns around Cleveland. Both stories were reported in the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

These newspaper reports of local drug activity over a mere few days suggest that the illegal narcotics trade is much more vigorous than the general public may think.

 Eight is Enough

Identified as a safety issue, the Bowling Green, OH, City Council has proposed the adoption of a law which would limit the number of occupants to eight per bedroom if the living unit has only one exit. A member of the city council, Stan Bortel, said he "proposed the ordinance to make living situations in Bowling Green safer for everyone." He was prompted by the fact that, while tagging along with the police, they stopped at an apartment building "and it was so packed you could barely get through the hallway." Mr. Bortel also stated:

"This is not an issue about drinking or partying or underage consumption. This is simply a safety issue."

If this is not a textbook example of triangulation, it should be. I need to mention that Bowling Green is a small college town, home of Bowling Green State University, and my take is that certain city leaders perceive a problem with too many wild parties and they want them toned down. Since partying is not necessarily illegal, I think they're proposing to slap the party throwers with violations of a city ordinance and thereby put a chill on future party plans. Anyone who gets assessed with a fine for too many occupants in an apartment will be counting heads next time around.

A heated controversy has surfaced with the opposition feeling that the proposed ordinance unfairly targets students. Well, DUH!

The story was reported by Asst. News Editor Scott Niles of the BGNews which also offers an opinion piece.

I think it's odd that one aspect that should be salient concerning the proposed ordinance is not even under discussion. How is the ordinance going to be enforced? Bedroom police?

 160 Pounds of Drug Evidence Barred

This story is the type that really frosts my cookies and it happens way too often.

US District Court Judge Lesley Wells threw out most of the evidence collected by the Beachwood Police and the FBI because of "conflicting testimony" in a case against two men who have accumulated, according to court records, a total of twenty felony convictions between them. Thrown out were 160 pounds of cocaine, two firearms, evidence collected during interviews, and $68,000.

Based upon the Plain Dealer report written by Jesse Tinsley, it does not appear that the lawmen acted in blatant disregard for the alleged criminals' rights. I'm going to assume there is much more to the story because, as written, it sounds a lot like "he said, she said." Whatever the whole story may be doesn't deter from the fact that two convicted felons were found with a massive amount of illegal narcotics and two firearms in their possession. And it disturbs me that the judge sees things differently and the two felons may walk, free to commit more crimes.

Although it has nothing to do with this case, it should be noted that Judge Wells gained considerable celebrity presiding over the federal case against former Congressman James Traficant. In that case, she ignored the prosecution's sentencing recommendation of 7 1/4 years and tossed him in prison for eight years. Apparently, she didn't like Traficant's attitude.

 North Korean WMD Dragnet

The US and ten other nations have formed a cooperative agreement called the Proliferation Security Initiative that will focus on seizing weapons of mass destruction and missiles departing North Korea and destined for Europe. Also targeted will be "all states involved in the illegal trade of weapons." John Kerin, reporting for The Australian, states that:

"The meeting of diplomats in Madrid last Thursday endorsed the crackdown, under which ships would be stopped and aircraft forced down if they were suspected of trafficking weapons of mass destruction."

The article also states that a blockade was "considered risky because it could trigger a war" on the Korean peninsula.

This I don't understand. The "dragnet" to be instituted by the initiative does not seem to be substantially different from a blockade and the loonies that produce, sell, buy, and intend to use the weapons rarely need provocation for killing people.

One other thing, noticeably missing from the list of nations signing the initiative are the UK and South Korea.

 Meathead vs. Terminator?

Jim Slotek reports in a Toronto Sun article the rumor that Rob Reiner may decide to run for California governor. Curiously, it's written in a manner which seems to indicate that the state Democratic leaders want him to run only if Arnold Schwarzenegger enters the gubernatorial race. Is he considered a "ringer?"

 Witty Heinz Labels

Have you ever wondered what upper management talks about in the boardrooms of multinational corporations. Well, you don't have to wonder about H.J. Heinz Co. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that managers spend part of their time sorting through 18,000 witticisms provided by consumers with the goal of selecting eight to be included on the labels of Heinz ketchup bottles. Winners get T-shirts and bragging rights. Whoopee!

I think glimpses into the boardroom of any corporation are instructive. Too bad we didn't see the sorting and selecting that occurred at Enron, Worldcom, IMClone, and Arthur Anderson.

 Myopia in East Asia

Over my decades of watching television and old movies with actors of Oriental descent, I never really took note of the fact that most of the characters depicted wore glasses and, usually, they had very thick lenses. Whether it was Charlie Chan solving a mystery or John Wayne fighting the Japanese, just about all East Asians sported spectacles. And, right off, I can't recall any exceptions.

Now, any prudent, thinking and curious individual would probably have voiced the observation, "Boy! It seems the Orientals generally have poor eyesight." Apparently I wasn't prudent, thinking nor curious because it never occurred to me. That is, until recently.

Enlightenment came through reading Glass : a world history by Alan Macfarlane and Gerry Martin, published by the University of Chicago Press. The book documents their well-reasoned study of glass from its discovery to the present. And, although interesting throughout, the section I found most intriguing examined the use of glass in correcting nearsightedness.

Empirical data from previous centuries to the present were used to conclude, infer, and suggest the causes of large differences in myopia rates exhibited by various groups and populations.

Some examples are:

Data surveyed establish a general myopia rate between 20% and 30% for adult Europeans.

Data indicate a general myopia rate between 65% and 80% for adult Chinese.

Data put the myopia rate between 70% and 80% for adult Japanese.

The authors examined three primary causal factors to try and explain the gross disparities among these groups. Nutrition among the three populations was studied and determined to be a factor, but insufficient to be considered the primary cause. Heredity was also examined, also determined to be a factor, but not significant enough to explain the differences.

With strong supporting data, the one factor appearing to have the greatest impact on myopia rates in a population is eyestrain, especially in young children.

The authors found that all Chinese and Japanese children start at a very young age learning the language, committing to memory two to three thousand complex characters while practicing writing them in an accurate and artistic manner. It's estimated that these children spend fully half their time in school studying language. The result is severe and continuous eyestrain for many long years. Without exception, all the places that require children to learn and become proficient with Chinese/Japanese characters have high rates of myopia in the population. This includes Singapore, the Malay Peninsula and Taiwan, but, interestingly, not South Korea.

" . . . the Koreans developed a phonetic script (hangul), with a small character set, in the fifteenth century and this is now used in all teaching until high school. So language learning constitutes only about one sixth, rather than a half, of the school lessons. One has the school pressure, but one does not have the Chinese characters in the earlier years of school."

Consequently, the general myopia rate in Korea (30% to 35%), although higher than in Europe, is not nearly as high as in China or Japan.

I choose to mention this research in my blog because I think some other folks will find the subject as interesting as I do.

 Ohio Concealed Gun Bill

A bill to allow citizens to carry concealed guns in Ohio was approved by bipartisan vote out of a State Senate committee The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting. Governor Taft has expressed satisfaction with the current content of the bill.

Interestingly, the article describes the bill as containing one curiously contradictory provision whereby guns in cars must be ". . . holstered in plain sight." How is that concealed? Also, if any passerby can see the gun, would that not give rise to unintended consequences?

Opposition to the bill appears to come primarily from groups that consider this to be the first step in requiring registration of gun owners.

�Clinton to NATO???

As reported in the Norwegian newspaper, Aftenposten, Norway's Progress Party leader Carl I. Hagen is strongly pushing for Bill Clinton to become the new head of NATO. He is quoted:

"NATO is in a very difficult situation, with a deep conflict between the US and the major EU countries Germany and France," Hagen said. The new general secretary, he said, must be able to bring NATO members together again."

This should come as no surprise to anyone.

�Flag Flap in Lakewood

V. David Sartin of The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that Mayor Madeline Cain of suburban Lakewood ordered workers to install a new flagpole outside City Hall to avoid flying a gay pride flag below Old Glory. The City Council had agreed earlier to fly a gay banner to recognize Lakewood's large homosexual community. Prior to the mayor's edict, it was expected that the banner would fly on the same pole as the US flag along with a banner commemorating American prisoners of war.

The gay pride/two flagpole controversy has sparked a local firestorm. One resident, Jerry Murphy, offered the following:

"Now that you have that rag on a stick up there, you open up a door to all the other strange groups, like the Nazis . . . ."

Mr. Murphy's comment is quite true in that neither the mayor nor the City Council established criteria for who may hoist flags nor which flags are acceptable.

This whole story is disturbing. The Lakewood City Council and Mayor created the problem and it looks like it's going to grow in intensity. They should have adopted a policy that specified only the US flag and the Ohio flag are permitted to be flown in front of City Hall. Instead, they decided to use public property to advertise for special interests, this time, the homosexuals, next time, some other group. The problem is not going to go away.

When the public elects boneheads to office, there should be no surprise when everything turns into crap.

�Task Force Hunting Molester of Young Girls

Maggie Martin reports in The Cleveland Plain Dealer that, for the past two years, sexual assaults of young girls have occurred in NE Ohio and western Pennsylvania. This has prompted the formation of a task force of FBI agents and local police dedicated to tracking and capturing the attacker, described as a man in his 20s or 30s with light brown or blond hair. He's believed to drive a dark-colored, four-door van.

The report also states that:

". . .a young male carrying either a clipboard or a package knocks on the door and asks if any adults are home. He gets inside by asking for directions or inquiring about neighbors. The man then attempts to, and in several cases actually did, sexually assault the girls, who are between the ages of 11 and 17 . . . ."

This guy is a filthy deviant who needs to be removed from polite society.

 Microsoft Drops Internet Explorer for Mac

Ian Fried reports in zdnet.com that Microsoft has announced it will stop future development of its Internet Explorer browser for the Macintosh. The reasons given are that Apple's new Safari browser better serves Mac customers and Microsoft doesn't have access to the Mac operating system which it would need to effectively compete. It should be noted that Safari v1.0 is not yet on the market.

Windows users can expect a change also. Microsoft has stated it will no longer develop standalone versions of IE. Updates to the browser will be incorporated into future versions of the Windows operating system.

I should mention that I've watched these two companies over the years and they sometimes seem to be playing poker. Microsoft turns over a card and waits for Apple to turn one. Back and forth, over and over, and one can never be precisely sure how things will end up.

The article also states that Internet Explorer owns 95% of the browser market so it would be logical to assume that just about all computer users will have at least a passing interest in how these developments play out.

�Meth Spreading in Ohio

For years, law enforcers have been battling the methamphetamine scourge in the western states along with making announcements that the midwest and east coast better get ready because the scourge will spread. The following is only one of many examples that it has.

Brian M. Ewig of The News-Herald reports that a Geneva woman is to be arraigned today in connection with the June 6 raid of a suspected methamphetamine laboratory on South Broadway. Charges include one count each of manufacturing of illegal drugs; complicity to manufacture illegal drugs; illegal assembly of drug-related paraphernalia and aggravated possession of drugs.

Police have said it's likely more people will be charged in the case.

�In-laws Affect Marriage Success

Having had both good and bad personal experiences with in-laws and having observed friends in identical situations, I felt this article would be of interest to many readers. It discusses the results of research conducted by Iowa State University on the "correlation between relationships with in-laws and the long-term success of marriages."

First appearing in the Journal of Marriage and Family and shown on the web at Divorce Magazine.com, the study:

". . . suggests that marriages in which the husbands do not get along with their mothers-in-law are not as likely to last. A mother-in-law can have an influence that lasts as far as 20 years into the marriage . . . ."

It's puzzling to me that I've found little other mention of the impact resulting from a mother-in-law's influence on a marriage. The subject seems worthy of additional study.

�Nuclear Plant Safety Culture

Last year the Davis-Besse Nuclear Power Station outside Toledo, OH, was shut down upon identification of a fist-sized hole in the reactor vessel head caused by corrosion. The problem, along with a spotty history of safety performance, has been attributed by investigators to a "defective safety culture" at the plant.

"Safety culture means the collection of characteristics and attitudes found in nuclear power plant owners and employees who put a high priority on safety."

Science Editor Michael Woods of the Toledo Blade reports that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards has taken notice and formed a subcommittee to review the subject of safety culture and recommend possible actions.

Jack Grobe, the NRC head of a special panel overseeing improvements at Davis-Besse and quite close to the problems, concurs, stating:

"The principle causes of Davis-Besse were cultural."

David Collins, an engineering analyst at the Millstone Nuclear Power Station in Connecticut, noted that safety could be compromised by overbearing executives and is quoted as saying:

"We need some mechanism for NRC to remove toxic leadership."

Mr. Collins and others, however, expressed reservations about adopting extensive safety culture regulations.

"Existing rules, they said, could get the same result, if fully enforced by the NRC.(Italics by Interested-Participant.)

This whole episode in the nuclear industry seems to smell of bonehead management at Davis-Besse and at the NRC. Maybe they should be considered potential future selectees for the Official Bonehead List.

 Sadly, More Organ Donors

Recently, I've noticed youngsters in my NE Ohio area joy riding and doing wheelies on their all-terrain vehicles(ATV). None that I've seen wore protective head gear. Sadly, within the past week, I've also noticed local broadcast news reports of three deaths of youngsters due to ATV mishaps. Two were in western PA and one was just outside Cleveland.

It doesn't appear that the danger associated with ATV operation is being adequately conveyed to the public. And young people are paying the price.

 Nuclear Power Industry Update

Seth Borenstein, reporting for Knight Ridder Newspapers and the Akron Beacon Journal, indicates that the nation's moribund nuclear power industry is "showing signs of awakening soon." Three utilities will seek licenses this year to build new nuclear plants and it is speculated by government officials and industry leaders that the first will be finished "around 2010." Mr. Borenstein also states:

"The biggest sign of a looming resurgence: The Senate voted 50-48 Tuesday in favor of $15 billion in federal loan guarantees for companies to build six or seven new next-generation nuclear power plants. The terms were part of broader energy legislation; the House of Representatives has voted for similar but lesser aid."

The article also mentions the Bush administration's successful efforts in getting the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada approved as an eventual nuclear waste repository and their intentions to fund the construction of one nuclear plant in Idaho for the sole purpose of producing hydrogen as part of a long-term project to switch to hydrogen as a fuel for cars.

In support, Chairman Nils Diaz of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission stated:

"The nuclear power industry in the United States is undergoing a renaissance . . . . We need to be ready if we are requested to expand our regulatory licenses to new areas, like new reactors."

You can read the whole Akron Beacon Journal article which additionally identifies some possible locations of new nuclear power plants.

 Top of Her Game

The Talk Radio KSFO 560 AM station's website shows a snapshot of living history that everyone should see. I had most of a mustard and sauerkraut smothered hot dog in my mouth when it popped up on my computer screen. It was hard not to hurl.

 Ugly American Culture

Read the story reported in The Derrick in Oil City, PA, that nauseates and keeps on nauseating. An 18 year-old Burger King cook prepared a burger for a customer and allegedly spit on it before it was wrapped. Unfortunately for the cook, the customer was a Pennsylvania State Trooper.

After an investigation, the cook was fired and charged with aggravated assault, harassment, simple assault and disorderly conduct. I hope he gets punished severely.

 Alberta and British Columbia - New U.S. States?

Lawrence Solomon of the Urban Renaissance Institute details in a National Post column the possibilities, along with the pros and cons, of Alberta and British Columbia choosing to join the Union as the 51st and 52nd states. Apparently the Supreme Court of Canada has given the okey-dokey for "a province's departure if its citizens speak clearly on the matter."

Mr. Solomon concludes by stating that Canada must not allow the two provinces to depart and, to sustain unity, Canada must be made worthy of Albertans and British Columbians. Read the whole column.

�Official Bonehead List Nominees

A reader from Toronto, Ontario, emailed me to nominate Dennis Kucinich and Barbara Boxer for inclusion on the OBL. The selection committee will consider and decide in the near future. It shouldn't be difficult. Thanks, Rob. Eh?

 Springer Serious About Senate?

It's being reported by The Cleveland Plain Dealer that Jerry Springer has started to act like a candidate for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by George Voinovich. He's created the Run Jerry Run! website to collect funds for his campaign if he decides to run. Early polls show little support but that could change.

�Straitening the Facts

A reader, Kevin Koehler from Los Angeles, emailed me to relay that my previous post regarding tattooing contains a statement which is factually incorrect. Specifically, I offered that tattooing is an unregulated industry. With Kevin's input and further research (reference: Tattoodesign.com), I determined that most states do, in fact, have laws to regulate tattooing, body piercing, branding, and scarification. I thank Kevin for pointing out the error and apologize to everyone for my carelessness. I intend to continue researching the subject and plan to provide additional reports in the future.

 Sword of Justice

Picked up an interesting link from Dave Barry's Blog dealing with criminal punishment in Saudi Arabia. The Arabnews reporting of such a macabre subject seems disturbingly ho-hum.

 Tattoo and Tattoo Removal

The Californianonline website relates a story of a young waitress at an Olive Garden Restaurant who was told to have her visible tattoo removed or go work in the kitchen where the customers couldn't see it. She decided that the cost of removal was too high and she didn't want to work in the kitchen, so she quit. Now she's considering a lawsuit because she's been stabbed in the back.

OK, let's analyze this story. The Olive Garden told her to get rid of the tattoo or go work in the kitchen. Should they and can they give her the ultimatum? Of course they should. It's a private business and they have the right to run it as they want. Can they? The courts generally think so and, moreover, it's common practice in many business fields to stipulate and enforce minimum appearance standards. It doesn't seem that the waitress has a chance of winning a court case.

To continue, the waitress, Karen Ketola, stated that she would not spend the $150 to $300 per session to have the tattoo removed. From here I'd like to digress and discuss the cost.

My research found that currently there seems to be no comprehensive effort to collect data concerning tattoo removal. Information that is available is based primarily upon the experiences of practitioners of tattoo removal. Understandably, many varied experiences will produce imprecise data. This, however, does not preclude the identification of specific ranges associated with the cost and number of treatment sessions required. The range would be as stated by the waitress, and confirmed by my research, $150 to $300 per session with an average minimum of 6 and as many as 20 or more sessions required depending on the size of the tattoo. The minimum total cost customarily is at least 10 to 15 times the cost of the original tattoo, while the maximum total cost can easily exceed 30 times. Forget about hundreds of dollars. To have someone remove a tattoo, even small ones, may cost thousands. One can easily see that it is much more lucrative to be in the business of removing tattoos than putting them on. It should be noted that health insurance companies will not cover the cost of tattoo removal. Payment for the service will be out-of-pocket.

One other data point worth mentioning is that it is generally agreed that, over time, more than 50% of people with tattoos regret ever having gotten them. Also, an unpublished (and often cited) random survey conducted about ten years ago estimated that at least 8 million Americans have tattoos. Based upon the above, 4 million regret having them. Of note is that, even if the population figures are grossly in error, a very small percentage of Americans have tattoos.

Getting back to the story, waitress Karen Ketola stated she was stabbed in the back and I agree. She got screwed royally, but it wasn't by The Olive Garden. In fact, the restaurant acted more than reasonably in my opinion. They explained the corporate policy, outlined her options (either have the tattoo removed or get transferred to the kitchen), and gave her adequate time to make a decision and act. There was nothing untoward.

But she did get screwed and it was before she walked into that parlor to get tattooed. Apparently nobody told her that a person displaying a tattoo is automatically considered unsuitable for certain types of jobs, such as, dealing with the public. Who's responsible? Who stabbed her in the back? I suggest, maybe her parents. They didn't take her aside and tell her that a visible tattoo will negatively impact her employment options. Or maybe her teachers in school stabbed her in the back because they were more interested in teaching diversity as opposed to giving her useful knowledge such that she would make prudent decisions. These folks could have informed Karen Ketola, but the simple reality is that she made the decision, she alone, to get tattooed. Possibly it was a frivolous or impulsive decision. Doesn't matter. What it wasn't was an informed and reasoned decision. Karen Ketola was stabbed in the back. She did it to herself.

Before closing, I'd like to make some other points. One concerns attending an out-of-state family reunion and meeting a 16 year old girl who had a tattoo the size of a floor tile on her back. She told me it took 8 weeks to put on and it hurt a lot and was expensive. I expressed surprise that her state laws allowed 16-year-olds to be tattooed to which she said she got it when she was 15 and there were no laws governing tattoos. Subsequently, I learned that she was right. Tattooing in America is unregulated. At the age of 15, this girl cannot drive, cannot drink, cannot buy cigarettes, cannot quit school, cannot vote, cannot enter into a legally binding contract, but she can go and get a tattoo which could stigmatize her for the rest of her life. This just don't seem right. There should be a minimum age for getting a tattoo and I recommend 21.

After rehabilitation, a significant impediment to making ex-convicts and ex-gang members employable is that they usually have numerous visible tattoos. Taxpayer funded tattoo removal programs, most notably in California and Texas, have started to address the problem. In addition, federal funds are starting to be disbursed for tattoo removal from people other than ex-convicts and ex-gang members. There is a noticeable trend toward having the taxpayer foot more and more of the bill for tattoo removal.

All the while, the tattooing of youngsters is unregulated and burgeoning. More and more 14, 15, 16, and 17-year-olds are getting visible tattoos. Take a walk through the mall on a Saturday afternoon and you'll see them. They tattoo their hands, arms, calves, ankles and I even saw one girl with a tattoo on her neck. For Christ's sake! These are kids who are going to wake up ten or fifteen years from now and want to get rid of their tattoos. And the way things are trending, taxpayers will pay for their removal.

I have a suggestion which may help. Produce a series of public service segments discussing the downside of having tattoos, emphasizing the fact that they make a person unemployable and then run them, over and over, between videos on MTV. I'm sure the message would eventually sink in and fewer tattoos would be put on youngsters. Fewer tattoos means fewer needing removal.

In summary, we've got an unregulated industry that's marking up our young people and, ultimately, it appears the taxpayer is going to foot the bill to take the markings off. We should do something.

  Korean Blogger

The Marmot's Hole has captured my attention and I visit regularly. Based out of South Korea, Robert reports on the culture and politics of East Asia in general and the Korean peninsula in particular. At a time when North Korea is saber-rattling and building nukes, most people will be engaged by the informative and insightful reporting from the Marmot's Hole. Give it a look.

 William Bennett and the Slot Machines

Bill Bennett was recently outed as being a degenerate gambler and was subsequently pulverized by pundits nationwide. Many people are angry and justified in their anger. For the past two decades, Bill Bennett has been a recognized leader in efforts to renew morality and virtue as basic precepts of American culture. But now, with his gambling obsession or addiction made public, he's recognized by the pundits as a buffoon and a hypocrite. He espouses virtues and qualities he does not have. I am as pissed off as anybody.

A second point needs to be made concerning Dr. Bennett's motivation. As I understand, he lost millions of dollars playing slot machines and video poker. Anyone who has ever picked up a book on gambling knows that slots are a waste of time, if you want to win, and video poker is not much better. Prudent bettors will always spend their time playing blackjack or craps where, on occasion, the gambler can actually have an advantage over the house. Now, since Dr. Bill is a very intelligent person, I have to assume he was aware of this.

So, why would a normally rational person with high intellect play the slots and video poker when that person knows he has essentially no chance of consistently winning? That's the first question. I don't know the answer, but I wonder if he was concerned about winning. Seems to me that maybe he wasn't.

A second question. If a person already has more millions than he can reasonably spend in a lifetime, why in the world would he spend oogats of hours in front of a stupid machine. Even if he won something, it would not have any effect on his net worth. Once again, it appears that he gambled without regard to winning or losing and was willing to pay whatever price necessary.

If what I assume is valid, then I'd suggest the machines functioned to block out all distractions for Dr. Bill. He didn't have to think, answer questions, worry, be frustrated or bothered in any manner. The machine, with its bells, sirens, and lights, allowed him to forget all his troubles for a finite period of time. Winning or losing didn't matter. If that's true, Bill Bennett is no gambler. A gambler always tries to win.

But my assumptions and conclusions could be wrong.

 New Words

Wordspy collects newly coined words in the English language and I think it's quite interesting. Many of the words were unknown to me. Of note is that each word essentially describes recent changes in American culture. They're like Cliff's Notes for recent societal changes. Good examples are digifeiter and alpha earner.

 Plugging Away

Well, I've now learned how to link. Hooray! I've also provided capability for a reader to contact me via email. This stuff was actually quite easy after I boned up on my HTML. It just takes practice.

 Oh! Martha, Martha, Martha!

Financial Times is reporting that Martha Stewart is still in pretty warm water over her alleged insider trading episode. I hope she comes out of her current troubles with some scars. Nothing personal, it's just that the whole matter involves less than a quarter million dollars. A lot of money to most people, but why would a women who heads a billion dollar organization risk her reputation for such a pittance. Abject greed? I don't know, but the sheer stupidity of the whole event suggests she needs a good bitch slap hard kick in the ass. BTW, her boneheaded decisions qualify her to be a selectee for the Official Bonehead List.